Sakuno's Camp Adventure!
by Animoon
Summary: Cute little Sakuno is once again helping her grandma at tennis camp, but who knew it would turn out like this? Cooking and stalkers and confessions, oh my! SakuCentric
1. Sakuno Goes to Camp

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Prince of Tennis, Sakuno would be an actual main character unlike the misleading beginning of the actual Prince of Tennis, where we are tricked into thinking she is the main character, then realize that no, that cocky, middle school kid is. (read: I don't own PoT)

**Sakuno Goes to Camp**

Kobayashi Training Camp is located in the small town of Tanimori, near Matsumoto in the Nagano prefecture. Built by the influential and generous Kobayashi family 20 years ago, the tennis training camp boasts five outdoor tennis courts, one indoor court, and two small workout rooms.

The property is situated near popular hot springs and historical temples. Linked to several hiking trails and only steps away from Tanimori's central shopping area, Kobayashi is equipped with any tennis player's needs, while providing the peaceful and quite small town life.

The main building holds a number of bedrooms, rooms for meetings, and an indoor tennis court. Branching off from the main structure are two wings, each containing two clusters of rooms. Each cluster was designed with five bedrooms and a shared bathroom centered around a great room.

It was hoped, Sakuno read, that such an environment would stimulate a player's natural talent, and at the same time improve their ability to nurture interpersonal relationships.

The building on the front of the brochure even _looked_ relaxing; a pretty fountain in front of a large western-styled brick building, with wide windows and trees peaking over the second story. The small tennis fan only hoped, fervently, that Kobayashi could work its magic on the Kanto region tennis teams. After all, no matter how peaceful a scene, the rowdy middle school tennis players she knew seemed to always cause some form of trouble for themselves.

"This is going to be so much fun! I can't believe sensei is letting us help out again!" Tomoka squealed, unable to contain her excitement. "We are so lucky! Three weeks of actual vacation! Three weeks of watching Ryoma-sama play in the wilderness! Three weeks of hot springs, baby!"

Ann turned to face them from the front seat, looking a little irritated at having her seat kicked, but also wanting to share the excitement.

"I wonder who will be in groups with each other. Remember some people didn't get along during the invitational camp. I hope I'm not stuck with a dysfunctional group," she said, then turned to the hyper Seigaku cheerleader. "Calm down, already. You're going to break something."

Complying, but only after making a face, Tomoka turned to her best friend expectantly.

"Aren't you excited, Sakuno?"

"You haven't been saying much," Ann asked the younger girl. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Oh, I'm just nervous," Sakuno said, tucking the brochure away in her duffle bag. She was excited, but had some doubts as to how the camp would turn out. "I don't know if I will be of much help. I don't want to let anyone down."

Ann smiled at the uneasy underclassman, while Tomo looked at her incredulously.

"What's there to be scared about?" the pigtailed girl asked. "I mean, we get to live with ten boys!"

"Is that a good thing?" Ann scrunched up her nose. "I think one is bad enough."

"We get to watch the best players in all of Japan - or at least of the middle school level – do what they do best!" Tomo continued enthusiastically, gesturing wildly. "We get the opportunity – nay – the privilege, of eating and living with hot upperclassmen!"

Sakuno saw her grandma arch her eyebrow in the rearview mirror.

"You'll be living _next_ to them," the elder Ryuuzaki corrected. "And you will all lock your doors at night. Understand, Tomoka?"

"Hai, sensei," the slightly deflated girl answered.

"And if anyone bothers you - any of you - tell me"

"Hai," they coursed.

"And don't worry so much, Sakuno. I'm sure you will do an excellent job taking care of your 'house'."

"Yea," Tomoka brightened. "If the people in your house act up, just stuff their faces with some of your homemade cake, and before you know it, you'll have ten marriage proposals - Oof!"

Ann turned back around in her seat, placed her pillow back behind her head, and looked out the car window at the surrounding forest.

"If you need any help," she said, watching the landscape become progressively hillier, "you'll have Tomoka-chan, Dan-kun, and I there to help you. We're all in this together."

"Besides," Tomo added, settling down for the long ride as well, "nothing bad is going to happen out in the middle of nowhere."

Looking out the window, Sakuno hoped her friends were right.

First on the itinerary when they arrived was drawing for their groups and informative meeting.

Kobayashi Training Camp was exactly like the picture on the brochure, and had a nice view of the peaceful mountains where the hot springs were located. They had yet to see Tanimori, the nearby town, but Sakuno already had the feeling that it was most likely touristy and small.

The four made their way inside the main building, across the foyer, and into a large room set up like a dining hall, with a stage at one end. It reminded Sakuno of the invitational camp's mess hall, but smaller, and less used. The room seemed to be overall insufficient in serving such a large number of campers; an observation the young girl voiced worriedly.

"There are kitchens in each of the four houses, desu," a voice behind the group explained.

"Dan-kun!"

The blue haired boy smiled innocently at the three girls he had come to know during the invitationals. Behind him entered Hanamura-sensei, the strict Sakaki-sensei, and Oji with a large cage with balls in it, like at the lottery. The freshman trio was going to come later (along with the Seigaku team) and act as assistants for the coaches. Inui also volunteered to be an assistant, being as only regulars could participate in the camp and Seigaku had more players than spots. For the meanwhile only the camp volunteers had arrived for the staff-only meeting. Once the tennis teams arrived on their busses the seemingly empty halls would be filled with the plentiful noise of teenaged boys.

After some polite greetings, Sakai-sensei got down to business.

"Your job as a dorm leader is very important," he explained to the four youngest people. "You will be living with your 'house' and will be acting as a dorm head. What that entails is such:

"You will be given a set amount of money to spend on food. Only the dorm leaders have access to this allowance. There are then two options. One is to buy the premade meals we offer. These meals will use up the entirety of your allowance, but will provide all three meals. The second option is to use your money in town to make your own food. It is not necessary to provide meals on the days detailed in the packet you will soon receive."

The strict coach looked at the four helpers seriously.

"Use your money wisely," he cautioned, then after a short pause, began again. "You will also be in charge of cleaning your 'house', informing them of any changes to schedule, enforcing the rules outlined in your packet, and keeping a general peace in your household."

"If you need any assistance," Hanamura-sensei offered, "Each household will be assigned a coach and coach helper. We will do our best to help you dorm parents by getting the group information and helping with training."

Then she added with a wink, "Whatever it is, don't be afraid to ask! And take good care of your kiddies, ok?"

"Let's choose our groups, then," Ryuuzaki-sensei spoke, after no questions were asked. "We will go one at a time and choose by lottery. Tachibana Ann, you're up first!"

Sakuno watched in anticipation as Ann drew her names. Of the people the braided haired girl recognized were Kaido Karou, Fuji Yuta, Tezuka Kinimitsu, and, to her and Tomoka's (and maybe Dan's) great disappointment, Echizen Ryoma.

The more she thought of it, the happier she became that she couldn't pull Ryoma's name now. She really wouldn't be able to breath, knowing he was sleeping in the room next to her and eating her food. It was a very good thing, she convinced herself. Very good.

Ann pulled the rest of the names, two being from Fudomine, two from Rakkai Dai, one from Rokkaku, and another one from St. Rudolph. Over all, her team seemed like it might be powerful, if anything because it had Tezuka and Ryoma in it.

Tomoka was next, and although she was disappointed at not pulling her Ryoma-sama's name, she was genuinely pleased to see her sempai Momoshiro Takeshi and Fuji Shusuke. The hyper girl also pulled two captains: Tachibana Kippei and Aoi Kentarou, the first year captain. Among the rest was Yanagi Renji, who Sakuno remembered as being a powerful player from Rekkai Dai. All too soon, it was Sakuno's turn to go on the stage and pick her team.

Giving the handle a timid spin, Sakuno took a deep breath and waited nervously for the basket to stop its rotation.

A ball rolled out smoothly, she hastily grabbed it, and read the name of her first house member out loud.

"Kajimoto Takahisa."

He was from Josei Shonan, if she remembered correctly. Although that team was not Seigaku's toughest opponent, she still remembered some of their members. He was the captain – the tall one – with the soft, honey colored hair. He might have been nice. It was hard to recall - did he play Ryoma-kun at any point? She didn't remember if he did.

In any case, he seemed amiable, and that was encouraging.

The next ball bounced out of cage, and Sakuno embarrassedly had to chase after it, having spun the rotator too hard.

Blushing, she brushed her hair out of her face, avoiding looking at the impassive coaches. Although her face was still red, the name on the ball made her smile.

"Kikumaru Eiji."

There! Having a familiar sempai around may make things a little easier. And Kikumaru-sempai was secretly one of her favorites. His energy and cheer was encouraging, and she was sure he could make up for any ill-spirit on the team.

However, she contemplated after reading the third ball, she wasn't sure her cheerful sempai could turn this character's countenance pleasant.

"Kirihara Akaya."

Sakuno remembered Kirihara-san well, from the Kanto Tournament, the invitationals, and the nationals. He was the violent second year ace of Rikkai Dai that injured Tachibana-san to the point of hospitalization. He was everything Sakuno tried to stay away from – troublesome, cocky, and mercilessly cruel. She had heard that he decided to start playing clean, but in the nationals reverted back to brutality even worse than before.

However, during the invitational camp he had tried to cover for Ann-chan, so she knew he wasn't, perhaps, as bad as he appeared. He was intimidating, though, and scary.

"Marui Bunta."

Sakuno bit her lip.

Two people from Rikkai Dai? Maybe Kirihara-san's sempai could help him keep his temper. She knew less about Marui-san than his kouhai, though. He was the one who played doubles with the tall boy with the shaved head, right? From her experience, all of those from Rikkai Dai were terrifying. Out of all her sempai's rivals, they seemed to be the least ethical and the most dangerous.

The next player, to her immense relief, was not from the terrifying Demon School of Rikkai Dai.

"Sengoku Kiyosimi."

The boxing-tennis expert, she remembered. He was hard to miss with his orange hair, green clothes, and tendency to flirt with older girls. She wasn't so sure she could deal with flirting, but he seemed like a good-natured person.

The next ball that fell from the machine was actually two balls. Somehow someone had managed to glue or nail them together.

Sakuno looked toward her grandmother, clearly wondering what she should do with them.

"They're stuck together," she explained after a pause, in which everyone in the room stared at her as if wondering how one could mess up taking balls out of a machine.

"Are they? Well, it doesn't matter. Just read them both. We'll count them for two."

The young girl nodded and turned back to the pair, her eyes widening as she read off the names.

Oh, she was so dead! So completely, completely done for! If she couldn't handle Kirihara-san's attitude, she could surely never handle this man's ego!

She read them in the order in which they were nailed.

" Atobe Keigo. Kabaji Munehiro."

The latter was the Hyotei body guard who was born with the features and stature of a very intimidating and passive full-grown, bodybuilding man.

Yet she found the diva king even more intimidating. Atobe Keigo was at the very top of Saukno's "People to Stay Away From" list. Not that Atobe-san was particularly scary to look at – in fact he was very beautiful for a boy – but his sheer self-importance and arrogance made him virtually unapproachable in petite, self-conscious Sakuno's eyes.

And his money! How could she possibly keep happy a boy used to having legions of servants waiting on him, professional cooks making him rooms full of European delicacies, and maids starching his tailored uniform? She didn't even know how to cook a hamburger, let alone fillet mignon! Did having Atobe-san in her house come with a bonus on the house allowance?

"Sakuno-chan!" Tomoka whined, fanning herself with her hand. "Hurry it up, girl! I wanna get out of this place! It's ho~t!"

"Ah, hai!"

The last three members Sakuno pulled out and read in quick succession.

"Kawamura Takashi!"

Rotate. Roll. Grab.

"Akutagawa Jiro!"

Rotate. Roll. Grab.

"Sanada Genichirou!"

Sanada Genichirou?! Sakuno froze. Did all the intimidating members the tennis circuit suddenly decided it would be fun to team up on Sakuno? Well, at least Niou-san and Kaidoh-sempai decided to not join in on the fun, although that was no consolation.

Taka-sempai would be pleasant to have around, though. Perhaps he could help her cook…?

She didn't know much about Akutagawa-san, but he couldn't be much trouble if all he did was sleep, right? But then again, having both he and Taka-sempai with their split personalities in her house was like having 12 people instead of 10. 13, including Atobe-san's ego.

Thirteen was a bad number.

"Sakuno!" Tomo called. "Give Dan-kun a turn, ok?"

"Ah, hai!"

Sakuno stumbled off the stage and grabbed a folder from her grandma containing house rules, allowance money, a map, and a newly written list of all her housemates.

"Good luck!"

"I think I'll need it obba-san."

Her grandma just laughed.

**In this chapter…**

**Questions from the audience:**

None yet! This is the first chapter of my first PoT fan fiction. I hope you enjoyed it, and weren't completely bored out of your mind!

If you review with any questions, I will be putting my answers here, so I can make clear any confusion. Feel free to ask whatever you want! I only hope I will get enough reviews that I won't have to change this to "Question from one member of the audience".

So ask questions!

**Questions from the author:**

This is where I will put questions either just for fun, or to get some feedback from whomever is actually reading this. My first question will be….

How do you like the story so far?

**Author's recommendation:**

I recommend that everyone try watching some J-dramas! I am in love with them right now! My top five: Nobuta wo Produce, Nodome Cantabile, Zettai Kareshi, Hana Yori Dango, and Gokusen (Shin Sawa is so hot!).


	2. Sakuno Gets Acquainted With Her House

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Prince of Tennis, Sakuno would have her own male harem. (read: I don't own PoT)

Also….I'm terribly sorry for the late update. The more reviews I got, the more nervous I was about posting this chapter. But I'm sucking it up! If after you read this chapter you don't like the story, tell me why, please. If there are ways for me to improve my writing (which I know there are) just tell me! And thank you for the lovely (and overwhelming number of) reviews! I really do appreciate them!

Sakuno Gets Acquainted With Her House

The dorm parents split into two groups after the meeting; Tomoka and Dan headed to the right wing, Sakuno and Ann to the left.

The long hallway the two girls entered held only two doors, the other side lined with windows with a view of the small patio connecting the wing to the main house and of the forest beyond. Out the windows farthest down the hall, Sakuno could spot a tennis court, its net stored away.

"Wow, it's so big!" called Ann from just inside the first door.

Peeking her head inside the door labeled with the words "House One", Sakuno found her short haired friend happily making her way to two couches.

"It's nice to rest after sitting for so long in a car," she commented while quietly propping herself on the edge of one of the couches. "Don't you think so, Sakuno-chan?"

"Un," the petite girl muttered absentmindedly.

Ann watched her friend look around the room in awe and tried not to chuckle.

"Aren't you going to see your own room?" she asked, smiling.

Sakuno focused her eyes on her friend and returned her smile brightly.

"Hai!"

Ann smiled to herself as Sakuno scampered excitedly to her own door, her braids hanging in the doorway just a second longer than she.

Ann hoped that even with _that_ unfortunate group, her cute little friend would do well.

Sakuno was pleased to discover that behind the door labeled "House 3" was a room much like the one next door.

The room was large, serving as an all-in-one living area. Directly to her right was a large dining table seated for six. On the left side of the room, two couches provided extra seating. They were placed facing each other, with a coffee table in between. In the back, on the wall opposite the one she entered, was a medium sized kitchen with an island in the middle made to seat two.

There were also three doors (presumably to bedrooms); two on the left and one on the kitchen wall. To the right of the kitchen was an alcove, which led to the last two bedrooms and the shared bathroom.

The place was much larger than she expected, and much cleaner too. As she walked toward the kitchen to see what she had to work with (a range cooker, or a conventional oven?) she noticed that one of the doors in the alcove was slightly ajar.

Curious, she pushed it open slowly to reveal a modest corner room, with two beds already made up with trunks at their feet.

She blinked. Now she was confused. Weren't the teams supposed to arrive with their luggage later in the evening?

Checking the room for any signs of teenage tennis players, Sakuno crept toward the far end of the room where there was a bed with a gracious view of the surrounding area. She peered at the large, foreign-looking trunks.

Looking at the monogrammed "A. K." on the trunks, she once again felt herself in awe of the great diva's prowess. They weren't even supposed to know their groups till after the welcoming ceremony! How in the world…?

"Sakuno-chan?"

Half expecting Atobe himself to waltz through the door, the brunette turned on her heels, only to come face to face with a concerned Ann.

"Hmmm? Did you think I was the boogieman, or something?" the older girl joked. "What are those bags doing there, are they yours?"

More relaxed, Sakuno explained who's they were and showed Ann the labels.

"What a narcissist," the young Tachibana observed. "Can't he carry his own bags? Onii-san would never make someone else carry his bags when he can himself, and Kamio-kun even offered to carry my bags for me."

"You're family and friends are very nice," Sakuno offered, not really wanting to admit out loud the volume her future housemate's ego.

"Yea, they take care of me," Ann continued, leading her friend back to House Three's great room. "I'm pretty lucky."

Sakuno absentmindedly followed her friend through House Three's front door, down the hallway, and outside to the connecting porch area.

"Where are we going?"

Ann looked back over her shoulder at her shorter friend.

"Don't you want to see where our houses will be holding their practice? We have to bring them their lunches at the house courts on Thursdays, so we should know where the courts are."

First they visited House One's court; the one Sakuno could see from the hallway. House Three's court was back in the woods a ways, down a small footpath, and relatively isolated.

"There's no storage at either court," Ann observed. "I guess we have to keep all the equipment in our living areas."

"There was some space between the couches and the wall," Sakuno said.

Ann agreed, and they stayed quiet for a moment, listening as the trees creaked as the wind blew through their branches. Silently they agreed that the area was serene, and both hoped that it would stay that way over the next few weeks.

"Let's head in," Ann said. "The teams should be arriving soon."

In her room (the one sharing the kitchen wall), Sakuno finished unpacking her bags and placed her team folder on her desk. Her's was the only room with such a luxury, the others already crowded with two or three beds.

Her room, along with the bathroom, was also the only one with a lock. It was her job as dorm mom to wake up the ten house members, and apparently Kobayashi's architect was aware that it took more than just knocking to wake up some people.

Making her way to the kitchen to grab the last of her bags, Sakuno didn't notice the boys who just entered from the other end of the room.

"Eh? A girl?"

The Seigaku cheerleader nearly snapped her neck in order to view the owner of the voice, and found herself staring into the bored face of the green eyed Rikkai Dai devil.

He watched with slight amusement as she fought with her ability to speak. He recognized her from somewhere, although he couldn't remember right off the bat. It would come to him later.

"A-ano," she fought to find some words, while trying to avoid his stare. "Ryuuzaki Sakuno desu. I'm your dorm mo- leader."

She bowed politely, narrowly missing banging her head into the island counter. He tch-ed,

"Leader, huh?"

Looking up, she nodded timidly.

"And what the hell made you think we need someone to lead us?"

Confused, and a bit frightened by his harshness, Sakuno just stood there stupidly, halfway out of her bow.

"Kirihara," a deep voice boomed from behind the second year. "Be more respectful."

Recognizing the older boy, Sakuno wasn't sure if she was grateful for Sanada's powerful presence, or just very, very scared.

"Yea," the last member of Rikkai Dai said, his bubble of cherry gum popping. "Don't want another kid to piss their pants. Or skirt," he amended, looking at Sakuno a little closer. He grinned, and held up his fingers in a casual salute.

"Marui Bunta at your service, leader-chan!"

"Where's our room?" Kirihara cut in, ignoring his sempai, who mumbled "brat" and popped his gum again.

Not really sure how to act, or if she should reintroduce herself, Sakuno fidgeted with her skirt. Although she did visit her sempai on the tennis team often, during class the young girl generally only interacted with other girls. Also, the three in front of her seemed to tower over her smaller frame even from across the room. The combination of their physical strength and mental feeling of superiority made them much more intimidating than any middle-schooler should ever be.

Kirihara moved toward the alcove, making the first year even more uncomfortable as he grew closer.

"You can choose any room you'd like Kirihara-san," she squeaked. He had already opened the door to the corner room, and was viewing the suitcases there with distaste. Sanada shifted the duffle bag in his arms, as the other third year vainly searched the room for a TV.

"Hey," Kirihara addressed the girl who still hadn't moved an inch."Who's stuff is this?"

"Ano, Atobe-san's and Kabaji-san's, I think."

She didn't actually know if the unmarked trunks belonged to the giant boy, but figured it was safe to assume.

"That monkey is on our team?" Kirihara asked, sounding disgusted. "Why'd he have to take the good room?"

"Don't complain, Kirihara," his stern sempai ordered, throwing their bags in the first room on the left, apparently having chosen for his kohai. "Be grateful you're here, and take whatever room you get."

"Be glad buchou brought you with us at all, brat," Marui teased from the couch, having given up his search. "You could be back at home laying in your bed tennis-less and lonely."

"At least I'd have windows," he grumbled as he made his way into what was going to be his living quarters for three weeks.

Sakuno noticed that ironically they had chosen the only room _without_ windows, but chose not to say anything.

"Can't we at least look at the other rooms first?" Kirihara whined to Sanada, sounding very much his age, if not a few years younger.

"No."

Kirihara wasn't given time to complain, because the fourth house guest had arrived, toting his bag over his shoulder.

"We got a girl!" Sengoku grinned at the still immobile Sakuno. He swaggered into the room with a practiced casualness. "And cute too! Lucky!"

"H-hello, Sengoku-san," she started, blushing. "Ryuuzaki Sakuno de-"

"Ryuuzaki-chan! We're roomies, nyah!"

Kikumaru bounded into the room, interrupting the young girl's introduction. Kawamura entered after him, sheepishly mumbling "Ojamashimasu".

"Uah! So big!" Sakuno's bubbly sempai spun around the room with his arms out demonstrating the enormity of the space, while nearly hitting Sengoku and Marui, the latter having come back to the great room after tossing his bags in the room he was to share with his team members.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Ryuuzakui-chaaaan!" her sempai sung, ignoring the others. "Where do I put my bags?"

"In whichever room you'd like, Kikumaru-sempai," she responded, smiling unsurely.

"Then the corner room, nyah!!!"

Before she could warn him, Kikumaru had already bound over and gleefully slammed the door open, only to receive the same scene as Kirihara.

"Wha?!" her sempai seemed to deflate. "Someone got here first! Who is this…," he squinted to read the bags. "K. A.? Atobe?"

"Did someone call ore-sama?" came the signature drawl from the open doorway.

The Hyotei king stepped into the room as if a king stepping down from a throne. Sakuno could almost fancy seeing an invisible robe billow as he made his way though the door and past the couches, looking about him in distaste.

Everyone decided to come all at the same time, Sakuno decided, in an effort to make her nerves completely stand on end. Seeing all their names on little pig pong balls had her scared enough, but _this_--!

Trailing after Atobe was his ever-faithful Kabaji, and a surprisingly alert Jiroh.

"Marui-saaan!" Jiroh called. "We're in the same group, Marui-san! Sugoi, ne?"

The pink-headed player looked uneasily at the enthusiastic boy.

"Yea. Amazing," he said, his laughter a little unsteady.

"Oy, Atobe," Kirihara growled, stalking out of his windowless room. "Who gave you the power to choose your room before anyone else? What happened to first come, first serve?"

"Yea!" Kikumaru frowned. "Not all of us have servants to bring our luggage. This is unfair, nyah!"

"Eh? Ore-sama is merely making use of the resources bestowed upon him," the Hyotei king scoffed. "Are you insinuating that ore-sama should have carried the bags himself? That you are not blessed with the benefit of those to carry your luggage is not ore-sama's concern. Are you trying to blame your poor financial situation on ore-sama?

Sakuno could tell things weren't getting off to a good start, as a few of the other boys glared at Atobe. She wanted to intervene, but her body seemed to refuse to move from the familiar tiled floors of the open kitchen.

"So you're our dorm parent, right?" Sengoku's voice chimed from next to her. Sakuno squeaked, not having noticed the redhead's presence. At some point he had moved to the kitchen area, and leaned on the island counter with his arm crossed.

He grinned.

"Like Dan-kun, right?"

Sakuno wondered why he was talking to her, being as most of the other house members hadn't even acknowledged her presence. Yet, as soon as the Yamabuki player had spoken, the newcomers' attention was drawn to her, and she could feel her face starting to heat up.

"And who is this?" Atobe asked, looking a bit surprised. Sakuno fidgeted under his gaze.

"Ryuuzaki Sakuno de-"

"Ochibi's girlfriend!" Kikumaru interrupted, giving his kohai a leaping hug. "So she's a no-touch, Sengoku-san!"

Sakuno squeaked under her sempai's weight and in opposition to his statement.

"Echizen has a girl?" the surprised redhead asked.

After hearing their rival's name, Sakuno found eight pairs of eyes directed at her. Her back stiffened in her sempai's grip.

"Really?" Atobe asked, looking unsure. Then, after looking her up and down, "Ore-sama would have expected his rival to do better."

Sakuno really didn't want all the attention, especially over something that wasn't true and although Taka knew that the others had the facts wrong, he lacked the pushiness to stand up for her without his racket. Besides, in spite of her happiness at hearing someone call her her idol's girlfriend, the short brunette knew that it was up to her to save Ryoma's reputation.

So without much thought, she let out a forceful "Iie!"

They all looked a little surprised, including Sakuno herself.

"You think Echizen couldn't do better?" Kirihara asked.

"Iie! That's not what I meant!" she insisted. "Not what I meant at all! It's just- I'm _not_ Ryoma-kun's girlfriend, that's all. Sempai was just mistaken."

Kikumaru was pretty sure he wasn't mistaken, but just shrugged and let go of his kohei.

"Then Ryuuzaki-chan doesn't like Ochibi, nyah?" he teased.

"Iie! It's not that either!" she answered, taking her senior to be completely serious. "I like Ryoma-kun very much!"

Then, realizing what she had said, Sakuno tried to correct herself.

"I mean, I don't like Ryoma-kun! Well, I mean…I do, but…"

"That's enough," Sanada ordered, shutting her up. It was obvious enough to everyone in the room that she had a major crush on the cocky first year.

"Unrequited love is tough, huh?" Sengoku persisted, enjoying how the little girl's face kept firing up, like a little oven.

Sakuno looked horrified.

"I-it's not unrequited!" she insisted. "I mean- it's not love!"

Seeing Taka giving her a sympathetic look, she fumbled angrily with her skirt.

"It really isn't!"

"Hai, hai," Kikumaru patted her on the head condescendingly. "Of course it isn't."

About to reply in another bout of flustered nonsense, Sakuno stopped short at a knock on the house door. Seeing as no one moved to let in whoever it was on the other side that actually had the manners to _knock_ (something none of them had done), Sakuno quickly padded her way from her sempai's side to the door.

As she made her way hurriedly across the large room, sidestepping around tennis bags and jackets that had already accumulated, the boys turned their interests to trying to beat each other to the remaining rooms; a contest led by the enthusiastic Seigaku third year.

Kikumaru was in the market for a room in close proximity to his midnight cookie snack, and not even Kabaji could stop him.

After stumbling over a particularly large tennis bag (at which she heard Kirihara scoff from the other side of the room), the disgruntled first year made it to the door.

She opened it to reveal a relaxed looking Kajimoto, who she hadn't even realized wasn't there yet, with his hands in his pockets and his bag at his feet.

"Thank you for knocking, Kajimoto-san," she said as she bowed, still a little annoyed by the others' teasing.

He blinked, a little confused as to why there was a little girl in his new living quarters.

"Isn't it normal to knock?"

The duo in the doorway heard Kikumaru yell "Banzai!" from one of the bedrooms, a crash, then several angry voices shouting.

"No," Sakuno sighed. "Not around here."

**In this chapter…**

**Questions from the audience:**

Q: Is Sakuno going to be paired up with anyone in the end?

A: As of now I plan on leaving it open-ended. However, there will be some pairings I will hint at more than others (Kirisaku and Atosaku being the most predominant). The majority of the relationships will be more brother/sister, though. I like Sakuno with everyone ^^. One **warning:** Ryosaku fans may be a bit disappointed. But I will not be portraying Ryoma in a bad way (as in, not Ryosaku, but not a Ryoma-bashing).

Q: Can some of the members in other teams like Sakuno too?

A: Certainly the teams interact fairly often, so you will see some of your favorite characters that arnt in House 3. However, I don't plan on really having any strong pairings at all. There may be some interaction, but relationships for the most part will not pass a certain level.

Q: How did Atobe and Kabaji's names get stuck together?

A: Atobe ordered his servants to glue the balls together as they were dropping off his luggage. He told them it was because he wanted Kabaji to be in a group with someone he knows, but we all know it's just because he wanted to be with his best friend XD that big softie!

**Questions from the author:**

What are your favorite Sakuno pairings?

Would you mind if the ending was open-ended in terms of pairings?

I feel like I dont have Kirihara's personality quite right...How would you describe his attitude in general, and his attitude toward girls?

**Author's recommendation:**

Everyone should go to mangafox/dot/com! They have free manga, and you don't have to download anything! While you're there try out Usami Maki's love stories (like…that bus one…) and the story Cat Street. You'll get hooked. I promise!


	3. Sakuno Makes a Throne

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Prince of Tennis, tennis playing would conform to the rules of gravity and logic. (read: I don't own PoT)

An apology is certainly in order this time around. I made you all wait a heck of a long time for this update! You've been amazing about reviewing, and I can't appreciate that enough.

Special thanks go to Tenshin-no-Tsubasa, Domyouji, alwaysblossom01, iKiohri, mysweetcat, m o o g l e d a i m e, and xhikaorux, who reviewed for Dictionary. Honestly, those reviews were what got me motivated to finish this chapter. You've made me unconditionally happy!

As ever, thank you Kurama's koochi-q, my bff and beta. Love you much.

I (really) hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Sakuno Makes a Throne**

The second the seal alarm clock went off, a hand had already shot out from under the covers. Sakuno had actually been awake for half an hour already. It seemed like her body had been so tense when she had gone to sleep that it had automatically forced her eyes open and her mind to a point of readiness as soon as the clock struck 5:00.

Sakuno reveled in the warmth of her sheets a second longer before tossing them to the end of the bed and lowering her feet to blindly search for her slippers. She could feel goose bumps emerge on her arm as soon as her dainty toes brushed the cold floor, and she suppressed a shiver.

As she gathered the clothes she would wear that day, she mentally checked off what she needed to do that morning.

She needed to get some of the premade brunch from the cafeteria. There was simply no time to shop the day before, what with the opening dinner and introduction. She hoped to start them on homemade meals on Monday, so she had made sure during the opening dinner to pay attention to what her house members ate, so she could make them food they liked.

Consequently, going to the grocery was another item on her list. Her grandma had told her that there were many stores in town to choose from. An and Dan had agreed to go with Sakuno to explore their many shopping options, and although Tomo had already made it clear that she was _not_ going to cook her house's meals, she agreed to come along as well.

While she was in town, the houses were supposed to hold a "Get to Know Your House Day." Although she wasn't sure quite what that entailed, she hoped her housemates would have a good time. Maybe today's activities could bring everyone together, and they wouldn't fight about who got which rooms like the night before. She was sure, in any case, that when they arrived home they may be a bit tired, so she planned on making them a snack before they went to bed. Technically, she was only responsible for providing brunch on Sundays, but she knew that first days were always the most exhausting.

Besides, even among her older relatives, the little girl was well known for being wise with money. She knew where to shop and how much would be reasonable to spend. If she played her cards right, she could easily buy enough food for her group and have money left over.

After straightening her pleated skirt, Sakuno quietly crept out of her room and out the house door, bringing the food money with her.

---

She really shouldn't have been surprised that the cafeteria kitchen wasn't open yet. It _was_ only 6:30am, but she couldn't force herself to go back to her house to sleep. Instead, the young girl decided to go walking on the grounds. She needed to find the group court that was to be used for group training. From Monday to Wednesday, the group court would be where she brought House 3 lunch.

Each house was to train on their house court until noon, when they would head over to the group court to train with another house until 4:30pm. Sakuno and the other moms were to take lunch to their houses in-between training sessions. They also had to bring lunch to the group court on Friday, when all the houses trained together.

On Thursdays, however, there was no group training, so the moms were to bring the lunches directly to the house courts. Although the schedule was confusing, Sakuno knew she would get the hang of it eventually. She supposed she should make a copy of the schedule and post it on the house refrigerator, because she was fairly sure that even if the boys had gotten a copy, most of them had more than likely already lost it.

Her ears accustomed to the still silence common during early hours, the young pigtailed girl was able to hear the sound of someone practicing at the group court before they were in sight.

The scene was familiar to her and brought with it the equally familiar feeling of her heart pounding a mile a minute.

The green-haired boy swung his red racket with uncanny precision. He seemed to move in slow motion, although the neon ball moved startlingly fast. She could see the muscles in his arm tense just before the racket met its goal.

Caramel eyes, accustomed to watching fast-paced matches, followed the ball as it hit pavement on the other side of the net. The older boy's racket met the ball with equal precision and force. His eyes, just visible behind his glasses, burned with an intensity equal to that of his opponent.

"Too slow," he murmured stoically.

The other boy smirked and responded with a ball that moved too fast for Sakuno to follow.

She could watch Ryoma play tennis for hours on end and never get tired of watching. Since day one, she had gone to every game he played, cheering for him and knowing in her heart he would always win and always amaze her every step of the way. It would take more fingers than all the teams' combined to begin to list what made the tennis prince so captivating to the young girl. Although she was certainly not as verbose as her hyper friend, Sakuno was as big a fan of Ryoma as anyone else.

At first she was admittedly scared of her almost bizarre fascination with the boy. She had never, in her 12 years of existence, ever felt quite so strongly about any one person not in her immediate family. He was cocky (with good reason), dense (in the ways of girls' affections), and just plain _obtuse_ (always), yet Sakuno had never known anyone more charismatic in her life.

Despite his quirks, he drew people to him like moths to a flame. Sakuno could only wish fervently that in the end she wouldn't get burned.

---

Balancing ten boxes at once was not a skill with which Sakuno had been blessed. Actually, balancing at all was not a skill with which she had been blessed, but the former was a more immediate concern for the young girl.

She had been working on turning the doorknob of House 3 with her elbow for what had to be the last ten minutes with little success. After sneaking away from the practice tennis match without being spotted, the young girl decided to fulfill her duties as a mom and went to get the food she had originally been seeking.

Sakuno wished she had thought about bringing something to cart the meals around in, but it seemed that she had left her foresight back in Tokyo.

"Mou," she huffed, after having the doorknob slip away from her elbow once again. "Open up, you!"

Sighing, she took a step back and gave the door a stern glare.

"You will open," she told it. "And you won't give me any more troubles than I already have!"

Mustering up all the elbow strength she could, Sakuno resumed her position for what she hoped would be the last time.

And this time, much to her surprise, the doorknob _did_ turn! However, she was not expecting the door to fall open as well.

The braded-haired girl shut her eyes in horror as she lost her balance, landing awkwardly on her butt, and felt the top of her tower of boxes fall Jenga-style.

After a few moments of not hearing brunch splatter all over the floor, Sakuno peeked an eye open and found herself spectator to familiar yellow pants.

Wide eyes looked up to meet the irritated gaze of the Rikkai Dai fukubuchou. How in the world he had managed to catch the boxes in mid air she would never know. He didn't seem too surprised or startled by such a sudden greeting; only a bit irritated, but Sakuno had come to realize that that was his permanent expression.

"I assume this is brunch," he addressed the younger girl, who was still on the floor outside the opening.

"H-hai, Sanada-san."

And without another word, the hat-wearing demon disappeared back through the door.

Sakuno still held four or five of the food boxes tightly in her arms and tried not to be too embarrassed at her great show of coordination. She didn't figure Sanada to be the type to tease or tattle, and he had managed to save all the food before she had made a mess of the hallway, but that did not stop the self-conscious girl from feeling a bit humiliated.

About ready to enter her house, Sakuno froze at the familiar slurping sound of Ponta being savored. Slowly, she turned her head to her left, already knowing who it was.

"Ryoma-kun," she choked. "Good morning."

He took another sip of Ponta as his buchou opened the only other door in the hallway. His famous cat eyes gazed down at her in a bored manner, as he spoke from behind the raised can:

"Klutzy, Ryuuzaki."

---

"Awww! Western-styled food?" one of the housemates complained.

Not everyone had woken yet, but as it was a "Get to Know Each Other Day", the tired travelers could sleep in and not be reprimanded. Sakuno watched as the bleary-eyed boys ate at the dinner table.

Sanada had been the only one awake when she first arrived, but soon others had rolled out of bed and were munching on their breakfasts in relative peace.

Having only lived with her active grandma for years, the young girl had never witnessed the severe drowsiness teenage boys were prone to in the early hours of the day. For the past two minutes Marui had been working on picking up the same piece of eggs with his chopsticks, and Sakuno was beginning to wonder if she should scrounge the kitchen for a fork to make things go faster.

Her normally alert, red-headed sempai was also surprisingly sluggish. She wasn't sure if his eyes were open at all and couldn't tell if his broken "nyah"s were signs of awareness or just sleep talk. In fact, the only alert housemates were Sanada, Kajimoto, and Taka, who had all been up earlier to train.

The egg slipped again, and Sakuno decided it was time to intervene before all the sweet-lover's food went cold.

"Ano, Marui-san. Would you like for me to get you a fork?" she asked politely, trying to get the third-year's attention.

"If he can't use the utensils he was born with, he won't be able to use foreign ones," a voice called sardonically from her direct left.

Startled, Sakuno turned her head a bit to look at the Rikkai Dai junior, who had just woken up. He tousled his messier-than-normal hair and yawned but still looked a bit more alert than his sempai.

She noticed that he seemed to have even less of a sense of personal space than even Sengoku, and was actually quite a bit slimmer than she had always assumed. However, with Momo and Kaidoh as her only references for what a second-year should look like, Sakuno's assumptions were a bit warped. He was built more like Fuji or Ryoma, but that observation did little to assuage her instinctual fear of the boy.

Noticing the girl tense up, Kirihara smirked and leaned closer.

"Scared?"

Sakuno could feel her heart increase in tempo the closer the green-eyed ace got and was relieved when the towering frame of the only other second year appeared in the alcove.

"Kabaji-san!" she squeaked, practically running across the great room and away from the far more intimidating boy. "Are you here to get breakfast?"

"Usu."

Sakuno cheerfully handed the second-year a box and told him to sit wherever he felt comfortable. However, after a few moments of watching the immobile boy expectantly, she realized that there was something else he wanted.

Tapping her chin, Sakuno tried to think of how to ask the older boy what he needed without forcing him to speak outside his comfort zone.

"Is it about Atobe-san?" she speculated.

"Usu."

"Ah, um…"

Kirihara watched the two, amused by their extreme difference in height and annoyed that he hadn't been asked if he wanted breakfast too.

"Does Atobe-san want breakfast, Kabaji-san?"

"Usu."

"Oh, then will he be coming out soon?"

From the crowded table, Sakuno could hear the voice of the progressively more alert Kikumaru ask Marui if he planned on eating his eggs.

"Does he want me to bring the food to him, then?" she tried.

"Usu."

"Nyah! No fair!" Kikumaru screamed as he banged his fist on the table, suddenly energetic. "No fair, no fair, no fair!"

"Kikumaru-san, lower your voice," Sanada ordered from his seat, although the sharp glare he threw toward the alcove indicated his opinion on the diva's request.

"He can't just ask for special treatment!" the Seigaku third year stage-whispered viciously. "If Atobe gets breakfast in bed, I want an extra blanket!"

"More time to sleep," Marui grumbled from his seat. He was more awake now, thanks to Kikumaru, but his mood had yet to improve.

"Better roommates," Kirihara suggested, pulling a seat out.

"Are we making requests?" Sengoku asked good-humouredly, pulling his and Kajimoto's door closed after him. In comparison to his other housemates, Sengoku looked every bit awake. Sakuno, who sincerely wanted to get to know her house better, noted to herself that he was most definitely a morning person.

"I request a daily massage!" he grinned, looking expectedly at Sakuno. As he was clearly anticipating, the young girl turned a color that could rival the color of demon-Kirihara's eyes as she ducked behind the solid Kabaji.

A morning person _and_ a flirt, her mind noted.

"Tch. Shameless," the second year said, swiping food off Marui's plate.

"Don't judge others' actions while dismissing your own, Kirihara," Sanada corrected, his eyebrow twitching in warning. Sakuno noticed that as brunch progressed, his glares increased in intensity. Responsibility, she thought to herself, is responsibility.

"Maybe I should go talk to Atobe-san," she reasoned, although talking to the diva was really one of the last things she wanted to do.

"Usu."

---

"You want Ore-sama to _what_?"

"A-ano."

Trying to reason with Atobe was like trying to fly a kite with no string.

"Atobe-san should – or rather, the rest of House 3 feels that it would be…best if Atobe-san would eat with everyone else, in the great room."

"And why should Ore-sama stoop to such levels as to dine with mere commoners?"

"Urm…" Sakuno tried her hardest to come up with a reason Atobe would agree with, but rather pathetically could only say, "because everyone really…wants to spend time with you?"

"Like hell we do!" a voice called from the other room, "As if anyone would want to spend time with such a pri-"

Sakuno winced as the voice was cut short by a firm thump.

The diva, who was reclining regally in bed, raised a single grey eyebrow.

"Well, maybe that's not quite what they said, but as a family and a team, everyone should eat together, don't you think?"

"No."

Looking hopelessly at the tennis captain, she had a sinking suspicion that Atobe wasn't going to budge for anything.

"Are you done here?" he asked, looking at his nails. "If so, leave the food and go."

Sighing, the first year put down the bento and made to leave the room. Halfway to the door, however, his haughty voice made her pause.

"Ore-sama may be willing to compromise, though."

Uneasily turning around to face the all too smug boy, Sakuno hesitated for only a moment, getting the feeling that her fate had never been in her hands.

"What would you like to request, Atobe-san?"

---

"This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen," Kajimoto voiced, watching as the young girl put the final touches on what Kikumaru had already dubbed "Atobe's Throne."

With Kabaji's help, Sakuno had managed to find several large slabs of wood, that she stacked on top of each other forming a makeshift platform on one end of the dining table. Draping extra bed sheets on top to give the steps a uniform look, she had then, with quite a bit of struggling, managed to lift the chair that had been in her room on top of the stack.

The result was a Martha Stewart-worthy rendition of a king's seat, complete with condescending I'm-higher-than-thou view. It had taken quite a while to get all the materials together, and most of the other teammates had already finished eating, but she knew that at least now all complaints about the diva could be addressed to him directly, and wouldn't have to be filtered through her.

Brushing out her skirt, Sakuno looked toward the room next to the kitchen.

"Should I go wake up Akutagawa-san?"

"Please don't," Marui replied with an expression somewhere between fear and exhaustion.

Atobe sat down (or rather, up) and crossed his legs, almost upsetting Taka's glass of milk. Looking down at the pissed off group of teenagers below him, Hyotei's buchou smirked.

"Don't look so cross," he advised. "Now everything is as it should be."

Sanada stood.

"Kirihara, Marui. You have not completed your morning exercises yet."

It didn't take much convincing to get the rest of the Rikkai Dai regulars to agree to leave.

Taking a small bite of the sausage, Atobe's expression turned to one of distaste, for his food had grown cold.

**In this chapter…**

**Questions from the audience:**

Q: Could you not make the story open-ended?

A: I'll have to see how I feel once I get to the end of the story (which is not even close to being soon). I might change my mind by the end, and maybe yall with have changed your minds too :D

Q: Is Cat Street nice?

A: Very much so. I like the manga better than the live drama though. They are completely different, though, so you have to keep that in mind.

Q: Will Yukimura be visiting often?

A: He may make a few appearances. I'll make sure to involve all my favorite characters just a bit, but know that they wont be in every chapter (as made obvious by how little happens in every chapter).

**Questions from the author:**

Does anyone know any good Sakuno doujinshi or fan art? Any pairing will do, as long as Sakuno's a part of it!

**Author's recommendation:**

The following dramas: Brother Beat, Atashinchi no Danshi, and Mei-chan no Shitsuji

Jane Austin novels. Especially Northanger Abby, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma :)

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Prince of Tennis, it would be classified as shojo. (read: I don't own PoT)

Merry Christmas! (or good luck finding something to do with all the stores closed for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas )


End file.
